Christmas Eve / Christmas Day

Christmas Eve day Ammon & I saw Arthur Christmas at the Theater while Dad & Maddie spent quality time together too.

We went bowling as a family and then had frozen yogurt. We came home, had dinner, baked cookies and wrote letters to Santa. Ammon had a loose tooth and was concerned that Santa might be confused if he came by the house and ran into the tooth fairy. Luckily his tooth is still in place...

Before bed, we read of Jesus's birth from the bible.

The kids opened pajamas from Grandpa & Grandma King (which went

really well w/ their bedtime companions from Dad & Mom too)

Two precious children...

Angry Birds...

Our Little Princess

Sunday Best

We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! We love you all.

Christmas Fun

Family Pics

Fall is one of my favorite seasons. I love seeing the various shades of orange, yellow, red, and green leaves. Living in Connecticut the fall season was always bitter/sweet. I loved the breath-taking beauty that this season brought, but dreaded it because I knew winter was near. I wish I would have enjoyed those moments just a little more and not thought to far into the future. Living in California, I've learned to truly enjoy this season to it's fullest and haven't had to worry about snow. We miss our Connecticut friends dearly, but have really enjoyed living in Mountain View.

Here are a few pictures from earlier this week. The photographer did an amazing job. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We're so grateful to have you in our lives.

The speakers at church today spoke of gratitude. There is a young man in our ward who suffers from physical limitations and publicly expressed his appreciation for his disability. This heartfelt statement really touched my heart. This past week has been a little difficult. Ammon's has improved so much the past few months, but seemed to regress a little this week. I felt discouraged and a little down as I've questioned my parenting abilities. This statement really hit home as I've reflected on the strength and support that I have received from my sweet children and the many people who have assisted them during their life journey. I have been so blessed in so many ways and also wanted to "publicly" express my appreciation to the many wonderful people that have touched my life.

I'm grateful for my wonderful husband; who is also an amazing father. The base that we live on is operated by NASA. He interacted with a female astronaut and brought home an autographed picture for Maddie. He stated that he wanted to her know that she could do anything or becoming anything she wanted to in life. It made me feel so happy to know that my daughter and such a loving and encouraging father. Regardless of what she chooses to do in life, she will always have parents that love her unconditionally.

We had Parent Teacher Conference with Ammon's teacher Mrs. Higgins a few months ago. Nathan requested to meet with her since I usually am the one attending all the school meetings. Mrs. Higgins discussed various things with Nathan, one of which was a need to help Ammon improve his handwriting. Well, Nathan evaluated his own penmanship and decided that he would also work on his. After countless hours of practice and reading up on handwriting techniques, I have to admit that my husband now writes nicer than I do. I am constantly amazed by his quest for self improvement. It inspires me to also improve the areas in my life where I might be lacking.

I've spent a lot of time reflecting on the numerous people that have impacted my life for the better. I could spend hours typing memories, but don't think anyone would really have the time to read. I also don't want to leave anyone out, so I'll just end with this...

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with your families. We're excited to have Uncle Harold visiting us during the holidays!

What's Cooking?

We asked Maddie the other day if she wanted to help us bake brownies. One of her friends gave her an apron, chef's hat, and oven mitts for her birthday… Well, she came running into the kitchen a few minutes later dressed in her apron. Only, I guess we didn’t tell her that the apron is supposed to go over her clothes. It was a hoot. Ahhh Maddie, we love you!

Grandma, Maddie's excited to spend some time with you in the kitchen... only next time we promise she'll wear her clothes too.

A Day in San Fran with the Collins Family...

The Collins Family came to visit California for a few days. We spent the day together in San Francisco. Here are a few pictures of our adventure together. We love you guys!

Happy 3rd Birthday Maddie Sue

Monster Bash "Dance Freeze"

Pumpkin Decorating and card making

Maddie and Derrick

Ammon & Maddie Sue

Halloween Prep...

I'm ah "Mario"

One cute kid...

A Visit From the Tooth Fairy

Ammon lost his first tooth last week. We told him about the tooth fairy. We forgot to put the money under his pillow when he fell asleep. He woke us up at 2 am, frantically telling us that the Tooth Fairy forgot to leave him money. I went into his room and the pillows were scattered all over. I had put it away in a baggie, so he was mad that the Tooth Fairy took his tooth and left no money. I explained that the she probably took the tooth and was about to leave the money, when he woke up and scared her. He fell back asleep and Nathan stashed a dollar under his pillow. He woke up so happy. What a funny kid!

A Great loss...

My Uncle, Steve Calabrese, passed away very unexpectedly one week ago today at the age of 41. As my tears were shed and heart ached for his family, I've pondered a lot about life and the blessings that I have. Living in various places over the past six years have been good for Nathan & me, but during times like these make it very difficult to be away from family.

Oh how I would love for nothing more than to wrap my arms around my aunt and tell her how much I love her. I can only imagine how much her heart is breaking right now. He left behind two very special children and I hope they can always remember just how much he truly loves them.

I'm grateful for all the people who have shown support. My grandmother is one of the strongest people I know. She absolutely amazes me by her strength and composer through this ordeal.

May we all remember just how precious life truly is and cherish every moment.

Eventful Week

This has been quite the week.

We purchased 3 day passes for Disneyland almost a year ago from Travis Air Force Base and had to use them before the end of September when they expired. With the three day Labor Day weekend, we decided that we’d take a road trip. Ammon protested the entire way there. In the past after the first 20 minutes of being somewhere new, he usually decides that it’s not that bad after all. Apparently Disneyland is not the happiest place on Earth for my children though. However, I think they enjoyed themselves more than they’d admit. Ammon would definitely prefer being at home with his Legos and made it known.

Here are picture of our visit to Disneyland…

After returning home, Nathan was asked to conduct a Finance inspect for the Reno Air National Guard. Apparently someone had cancelled last minute and they need him as their replacement. Within hours of being asked, he was packed and on his way to Pennsylvania for a training and off to Reno to conduct the inspection. This may seem silly, but the whole event has really made me ponder life and realize just how precious it can be. I never imagined when I woke up that morning that I wouldn't see Nathan again for several days. Trying to explain this whole situation to the kids was ever more challenging.

Driving home that day I was feeling a little sorry for myself, the kids and I saw a horrible car accident that also involved a motorcyclist that died on the scene. Traffic was horrible driving home, back-to-back stop and go with six cop cars along the side of the freeway with only one lane of traffic open. When I drove by the car and smashed up motorcycle I quickly realized that something serious had happened earlier...

To top it off I received a call from the school principal who wanted to discuss the incidents that occurred on Friday with Ammon. Small transitions are tough so having Nathan gone so suddenly was very difficult for him. That being said, Friday was a very difficult day for him.

I'm just grateful that Nathan will be home eventually and we'll be excited to see him walk through the door when he returns. My heart goes out to the family of the motorcyclist who won't be able to experience that again. I guess we should all count our blessing, huh?